While this country is in the midst of a mental health epidemic, those directly affected go on in the day-to-day, silenced by shame and fear. As a culture, we need to begin treating mental illness like any other health-related issue and end the stigma attached. We need to provide nonjudgmental support to those in need, and not fall back on the prison system to hide the problem we didnt try to fix. Id like to believe these poems are proactive rather than reactive, but I also have to live with the fact that I was unable to help my own brother before he killed someone who we all loved. I would like to believe these poems are less about my experience and more about breaking the silence surrounding the mental health crisis in this country.